They're Mine
by nebula2
Summary: When the McKinley Titans kicker get hurts their championship season is in jeopardy? There is one person who could possibly help them out but he's definitely less than enthusiastic about taking to the football field again.


**_AN: So this is sort of a what if scenario set during season 3. The idea was inspired by the song lyrics of Rodney Atkins song "He's mine" which is an awesome song if you all want to check it out. I hope you all enjoy the story!_**

**Disclaimer: Glee and it's characters do not belong to me, I'm simply borrowing them.**

* * *

The McKinley High cafeteria was abuzz with conversation as the second lunch period of the day began to wind down. The table that Finn Hudson was sitting at was no exception to this.

"Come on, guys. This election is important to Kurt and besides he's the only candidate that is taking this election seriously," Finn said, looking around the table at his fellow seniors on the football team. He had been spending most of the lunch period trying to convince them to vote for Kurt for class president.

"Finn, he wants to outlaw dodge ball because it's an allegory to bullying," Wesley Allan, the Titan's center protested.

"Alle . . . what?" Sam Martin asked, looking as confused as Finn felt.

Finn made a mental note to ask Kurt what the word meant at home tonight. He'd rather look stupid in front of his stepbrother than his friends.

"Next thing we know he'll be wanting to get rid of football because it's too barbaric," Scott Rochedale, the Titan kicker, said. He wasn't sure what the word allegory meant either, but having already endured one of Wesley's lectures on a physics issue during study hall, he didn't want to give his teammate time to answer.

"Well, it's not as if some of us at this table haven't given him reason to be so against bullying," Puck commented, looking at Sam who had helped him toss Kurt into a dumpster more than once.

Sam glanced down at what the school claimed was lasagna, feeling a bit guilty. "Fine, I'll vote for him. Besides if Rick wins, we'll never hear the end of it from those hockey guys."

"Good," Finn replied. "What about the rest of you?" he asked, looking around at his teammates.

"We don't have to vocally support him or anything do we. I mean you can get away with it because he's your brother now but the rest of us . . . "

Finn sighed. Sometimes it was all too obvious how little things had changed but at least the guys on the team left Kurt alone now. "Just promise me you'll vote for him. Its secret ballot so no one needs to know how you voted."

"Fine. I'll vote for Lady Hummel," Scott muttered. Feeling Finn's eyes on him, he looked at the Titan quarterback. Finn was shooting daggers at him. "What? It's what Jacob's calling him."

"I don't care if everyone in the school is calling him that, I don't want to hear it from you," Finn said with a steely edge to his voice. He glanced quickly around the table at the other guys. "From any of you."

"Okay. Got it. Chill, dude. Though really, are you going to take a chance on me missing some games giving the season we've had? That Crandall kid hasn't even gotten a ball close to the goal posts all season. Face it Hudson, you guys need me."

"Don't push me, Rochedale," Finn muttered, although he knew the kicker had a point. They needed Scott for the field goals or their number one standing would be in jeopardy.

Scott grinned but wisely kept his mouth shut. After Finn had gone off on all of them following the incident at the prom last year, the guys knew not to push him too far when it came to his stepbrother. The fact that he had Puck to back him up helped matters.

Hoping to break up the tension at the table, Wesley started talking about their game the previous Friday. Before long, the football players were all talking excitedly about their latest victory and their hopes for the season. When the bell ending the period rang, the jocks gathered their trays and joined the crowd heading in the direction of the garbage cans.

"This season is ours, and my man Finn here is going to lead us all the way to State Champions again," Puck said triumphantly.

The group had been joined by several other teammates by now, and the jocks sent up a resounding yell, drawing the attention of their peers around them. Not paying attention to where he was walking, Scott felt his foot slide out from underneath him as his sneaker slid on a banana peel. The remains of his tray went flying in the air as he fell backwards. Trying to catch himself with his hands, Scott felt a sharp pain course through his arm followed shortly by all the air being forced out of his lungs as his back hit the hard cafeteria floor. His head hit next and things became fuzzy as he tried to focus on what was going on around him.

"Hey man, are you okay?" Finn asked, bending over his fallen teammate.

Though Scott heard the question, he wasn't able to respond to it even as he tried to focus on the quarterback's concerned face.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Finn asked next, as a crowd of curious onlookers started to form around them. He was holding the three middle fingers of his left hand up in front of Scott's face.

"Six?" Scott replied hesitantly. Although the Titan's kicker knew that number wasn't possible that was how many he was seeing.

"I'm calling for the paramedics," Mr. Schue, who had made his way through the gathered students in time to hear the answer, said. "Finn, make sure he doesn't try to get up."

"Got it," Finn replied with a quick glance toward his choir director before turning his attention back to his teammate.

* * *

"Scott broke his wrist, tail bone, and has a concussion so he's out for a while, probably the rest of the season," Finn said glumly as he repeated the news he had gotten the night before from Scott to the other Glee Club members he was sitting with today.

"That sucks," Blaine commented from across the table, where he was sitting in between Kurt and Tina. "You guys were doing so well this season."

"No, what sucks is that our backup kicker couldn't make a field goal even if the goal posts were thirty feet wider," Puck muttered from his place next to Finn.

"Is he really that bad?" Rachel asked, looking around Finn toward Puck.

"Yes," Finn, Puck and Mike answered in unison.

"I thought my senior year was going to be great, especially coming off of last season, and now we'll be lucky to even win games the rest of the season let alone make it to play-offs," Finn lamented, looking down at the BLT he was holding. It was one of his favorite meals at the McKinley cafeteria but today he wasn't even really feeling hungry. Still, knowing that he had football practice this afternoon he took a bit of the sandwich.

"It's going to be like freshman and sophomore years all over again," Mike commented.

"What happened those two years?" Blaine asked, looking around at his friends.

"The football team only managed to win one game between the two years combined," Rachel supplied.

"Yeah, and the kickers weren't any good either. Scott transferring here last year was a Godsend," Puck commented.

"Well that's not completely true," Tina countered. "Kurt was pretty good for the short time he was on the football team."

"You actually played football?" Blaine asked, surprised by the information. His boyfriend had never shown much interest in the sport though he did go to the games to cheer on Finn.

"Yeah, for a few weeks," Kurt admitted, looking over at Blaine. He could clearly see the questioning look his boyfriend still wore as he desired more information. "It's complicated. I'll tell you about it later," he added, not wanting to bring up his reasons for joining the team in the middle of the school cafeteria.

"Okay," Blaine replied, willing to drop the subject for now.

Relieved that Blaine wasn't pushing the subject, Kurt looked away from him. It was then that he realized that not only had the rest of the group gone quiet but that Mike, Puck and Finn were all staring at him.

"What?" Kurt asked, feeling very self-conscious all of a sudden.

"That's it! That's how we can salvage this season," Puck exclaimed. The statement seemed to make sense to everyone at the table except for Kurt and Blaine, who felt like they were missing something.

"What's it?" Kurt asked feeling afraid of the answer and not knowing why.

"You rejoin the team and be the kicker," Puck said, sounding as if it was the most obvious thing in the world and he didn't understand why he had to explain it to Kurt.

"It's the perfect solution," Finn chimed in excitedly.

"No, it's not," Kurt replied. "I've got no desire to rejoin the football team for any reason."

"Why not? I wouldn't mind seeing you in the tight pants," Blaine commented softly, yet loud enough for those sitting around them to hear. He was smiling mischievously at his boyfriend.

"Blaine!" Kurt hissed, his face quickly turning the color of the tomato on his BLT.

Blaine smiled back at him, not at all ashamed of the comment he had just made.

Rachel and Tina found the comment amusing, having to admit to themselves that seeing the guys' backsides in the football uniform was one of the perks of the game. Mike meanwhile found Kurt's embarrassment amusing. Puck and Finn's reactions were a bit more vocal.

"I think I'm going to puke," Puck muttered, dropping his sandwich onto his plate.

"Dude, he's my brother," Finn replied, with a shudder. "That image is going to give me nightmares for months now," he finished.

"Sorry," Blaine offered, not really looking all that sorry at all as Kurt shot his stepbrother an indignant glare.

"Oww," Finn exclaimed as Rachel elbowed him in the ribs. He looked over at her as he rubbed his side. "What was that for?"

"Be nice," she told him simply, feeling like somebody had to stick up for Kurt. Besides, she was still feeling guilty for running against him in the school election even though she had now dropped out. She looked across the table at Kurt as she continued speaking. "Although a championship title for football would look good on a college application. It would show you're versatile," she offered.

"Yeah, if I'm able to attend college after playing football," Kurt muttered, not caring if anyone heard the comment or not. Raising his voice, he continued. "Besides, the football guys are finally leaving me alone. I'd rather not tempt fate."

"We'll make sure they leave you alone," Finn promised, getting agreement from both Puck and Mike on the statement.

"We could probably even convince them to vote for you as class president if you're helping us win games," Mike commented.

Kurt had a thoughtful expression on his face following that comment, and Finn found himself nodding in agreement to it. He wasn't about to admit that he'd already talked the seniors on the team into voting for Kurt anyway. If withholding that information got Kurt to join the team than so be it. Whether or not the team made it to championships, would affect any possible scholarships for him.

"No. I'd rather not risk winding up in the hospital just to win the election," Kurt decided.

"Come on, Kurt. We need someone on the team who can actually kick the ball in the vicinity of the goal posts," Finn begged.

"No," Kurt said as he began to gather his belongings.

"Where are you going?" Blaine asked.

"The library. I've got a history report I need to do some work for and quite frankly I'd rather be doing that than being harassed about playing football," Kurt replied as he got to his feet. "I'll see you all in Glee practice."

* * *

Kurt sighed. He should've known that the fact that Finn and the others had left him alone about joining the football team during rehearsal wasn't going to last long. Sure enough, the second they had pulled out of the McKinley High parking lot, Finn had started hinting at him joining the team again. One thing his stepbrother did not do well was subtlety. Another thing that Finn didn't have a hand on was realizing when someone didn't want to listen to him. Even Kurt turning up the radio hadn't deterred the sales pitch.

"Come on, Kurt. The team needs you," Finn begged as he followed his stepbrother into the house. "We've been doing so well this year and if Crandall fills in as kicker we're going to quickly become the laughing stock of the league."

"I'm not doing it, so you might as well stop wasting your breath," Kurt said feeling exasperated. He wondered how many more times he was going to have to repeat those words.

"Not doing what?" Burt asked, looking up from the bowl of fruit he was eating while leaning against the counter.

"Joining the football team," Kurt replied, not so subtly checking to see what his dad was eating.

"Just fruit," Burt replied tipping the bowl in his son's direction. Though he had to admit that Kurt's fussing over his diet got a bit annoying, he tried to humor him because he knew his heart attack had scared Kurt. The idea of losing a second parent at Kurt's age would be scary for any teenager so if fussing over his diet helped Kurt feel a bit better then Burt would let him. He only snuck the bad stuff now and then and only when he knew there was no chance of Kurt showing up.

Kurt nodded his silent approval.

"Our kicker got hurt at school yesterday when he slipped in the cafeteria," Finn said, starting to explain the situation and hoping to get Burt on his side. "He's out for the season and the backup kicker sucks. Kurt's already proved he can make the field goals. He could be the difference between us winning and losing games but he won't agree to it."

"Because I have no interest in playing. I only joined the first time because Brittany said I was on the football team trying to cover for me and I didn't want to be lying to Dad and I thought I needed to do it to make Dad proud of me," Kurt countered, not ashamed to admit those reasons in front of his father anymore.

"And you don't have to play football for me to be proud of you," Burt said, reinforcing something that he hoped Kurt already knew. He looked over at his stepson's disappointed expression. "Still, if you could help out the team, maybe you should consider it."

"Are you serious?" Kurt exclaimed. He had been sure his father would be solely on his side.

"Well, the team is doing well this year, it would be a shame if they couldn't carry that out through the rest of the season," Burt said. "But the choice is yours," he added, "and no one is going to think any less of you if you choose not to play. Right, Finn?"

"Right," Finn agreed, secretly crossing his fingers behind his back and hoping Burt's words would persuade Kurt to change his mind.

Kurt looked between his father and his stepbrother's hopeful face several time as a silence fell between them. His father did have a point. If he could help out the team perhaps, he should. Rachel also had made a good point about it looking good on a college resume. Still, he couldn't help but fear he was opening himself up to harassment again and there was no way he was still doing his approach to single ladies - not with Coach Beiste heading up the team.

Kurt sighed. "Get your football and I'll go change," he told Finn as he started in the direction of the stairs.

"What?" Finn asked, not sure what direction the conversation had taken.

"Well, I'm sure not attempting anything athletic in my good clothes," Kurt told him. "So, go get your football and let's see if I can get the ball through the tuning fork at the end of the field with a conventional approach. If I can, then I will help you guys out, but you owe me big time, Finn and you and Puck better be real good bodyguards."

"Yes," Finn said, not bothering to correct his stepbrother's terminology in his excitement. Kurt disappeared upstairs and suddenly the football season was looking up again for Finn.

"Try not to let him get hurt," Burt told his stepson, feeling a bit trepidatious about the whole thing. Still, he had pushed Kurt toward it, and the kid had made a good kicker.

"Yes, sir," Finn said, less enthusiastic than his previous statement had been. Protecting Kurt from their teammates was going to be hard enough. There wasn't much he could do to protect his stepbrother from the inherent dangers of the sport, though. Still, they needed Kurt if the team was going to have a realistic chance at playoffs again this year.

* * *

"All right, Hummel. Let's see what you got," Coach Beiste called out after warm-ups were over and most of the players were working on drills.

Kurt took in a deep breath and held it. Somehow, he was more nervous this time around, maybe because he knew that Finn, as well as Puck and Mike, were counting on him.

"You ready?" Finn asked, appearing in front of him.

Kurt let out his breath slowly. "Yeah," he replied, looking up at his stepbrother.

Finn reached out and took the helmet that Kurt was holding. Like two years ago, he placed it on Kurt's head.

"You're going to do fine," Finn told him reassuringly. "You only missed one kick last night."

"Yeah, but quite a few of them were close to missing," Kurt reminded him.

"That doesn't matter," Finn said, tightening the chin strap on the helmet. "Come on, before Coach Beiste gets impatient," he added, letting go of the strap and clapping Kurt on the shoulder.

With a quick nod, and butterflies dancing in his stomach, Kurt followed his stepbrother to center field. As Finn set up the ball, Kurt found his starting position, taking in a deep breath and letting out slowly in an attempt to calm his nerves. It didn't help much.

Kurt waited for the nod from Finn, and then began his conventional approach toward the ball. After kicking it, he watched the ball sail through the air to toward the goal posts, holding his breath. The ball sailed through the uprights just inside the left pole.

"Try it again," Coach Beiste instructed, throwing another football to Finn.

Kurt kicked three more footballs, each one going through the uprights.

"Hummel, you're on the team," Coach Beiste called out.

Finn's audible 'yes' somehow didn't make Kurt feel any better about this whole thing. He knew he was doing this to help his stepbrother and the team out, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was a bad idea. That he was just opening himself up to more harassment by doing this.

"Crandall, your back-up kicker again," Coach Beiste continued.

From where he was waiting in line for his turn to go through the tires laid out on the field, Crandall gave a very audible 'thank God' in response to that announcement. It wasn't only his teammates who knew he was in over his head with Scott Rochedale's injury. Though he had been hoping to get good enough to be starting kicker for his senior year, Crandall knew he was nowhere near ready right now.

"Our chances for tomorrow night's game are starting to look a little brighter, guys," Coach Beiste said, looking around at her players who had all stopped what they were doing after Kurt's second field goal attempt. "But that doesn't mean we can slack off today. Let's get to work. Chang, start getting Hummel familiar with our warm-up drills. Hudson, work with Puckerman on passes. Fairview's defense against a passing game is terrible and I plan on taking advantage of that tomorrow."

As the players got back to work, Coach Beiste allowed herself a little smile. Granted she'd had major doubts when Finn had told her Kurt wanted to try out for kicker. The New Directions counter tenor was the last person she expected to see out on her football field, even after the Glee girls had volunteered to play last year to keep the team from having to forfeit the championship game. Still, she hadn't seen the harm in letting him try out and she was glad she did. Granted, she would still prefer it if Rochedale hadn't been injured but she was happier about her team's prospects now than she had been this morning. She just hoped she didn't have trouble with any of the other guys with Kurt on the team. She knew she was going to have to keep a close eye on things and a sharp ear out while the guys were in the locker room. Meanwhile, she wasn't going to go borrowing trouble.

* * *

Kurt stood on the sideline, a bit away from the rest of the team, as Finn lead the Titan offense out on the field. He had been with the team three weeks now, and he was still uneasy. Other than a few insults that had been thrown his way, one of which Finn had overheard and immediately demanded their teammate apologize, he hadn't taken any harassment from his team. He considered that no small feat. That didn't mean their opponents were as tolerant. The fact that tonight's game was a close one, the Titans were ahead ten to seven in what was now the third quarter, wasn't helping matters. Even on the sidelines he didn't miss the angry glares that were being sent his way.

A groan from the home crowd indicated another incomplete pass on the third down. Kurt took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the offense headed off the field in preparation for the punt return. Putting his helmet on, Kurt followed his teammates onto the field. As he passed his stepbrother, Finn let his hand rest briefly on Kurt's shoulder in encouragement.

Kurt wasn't exactly sure what happened next. One minute he was kicking the football toward the opposite end of the field and then the next thing he knew he was flat on his back looking up at the night sky. He heard raised voices around him but couldn't understand what was being said. His head hurt and he felt like he was suffocating. He willed himself to draw a breath as the last place he wanted to die was the middle of a football field.

"Hummel, can you hear me?" Coach Beiste asked, her face replacing the view of the night sky. What he couldn't figure out was why she was yelling at him? He hadn't done anything wrong.

Kurt nodded in response to her question, immediately regretting the movement as it only increased the pain in his head.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Coach Beiste asked.

Kurt saw eight but logically knew that couldn't be right. Not wanting to embarrass his father by being pulled from the game because someone had tackled him, after all this was football and tackles were part of the game, Kurt did something he never thought he would do. He lied to a teacher.

"Four," Kurt said taken a guess as to how many fingers the coach was actually holding up.

"Good," Coach Beiste replied, letting Kurt know he had gotten the question right. "Anything hurt?"

"No," Kurt replied, lying once again. The pain in his head did seem to be lessening some at least.

"Then let's get you on your feet," Beiste said, reaching down to help him sit up.

Kurt sat up slowly, trying to find something to focus on as he started feeling a bit lightheaded. The feeling soon passed, and he realized Finn was also by his side helping him to his feet.

"You okay, Dude? That guy hit you kind of hard," Finn asked, the concern and guilt evident in his voice over the applause of those in the stands.

"I'm fine. It just knocked the wind out of me," Kurt replied, still trying to hide how he was truly feeling though he didn't try to brush away the help offered to him.

Reaching the sidelines, Kurt gratefully took a seat on the bench as the announcer informed the crowd of a roughing the kicker penalty. As Coach Beiste turned her attention back to the game, the Titan kicker reached up to undo the strap on his helmet before slowly lifting it off of his head. He didn't see how anyone could like this game. Getting hit like that wasn't an experience he cared to repeat and yet his stepbrother and the others took a chance of that happening every time they took the field.

Not for the first time, he wondered how he ever let himself be talked into this.

As play resumed, Kurt kept his eyes on the field afraid that if he sought out his father or Blaine they would know something wasn't right. He tried to concentrate on what was going on but the game made less sense to him than usual, the pounding in his head distracting him. More than once he considered letting someone know about it, but every time he did he looked up at the scoreboard and saw how close the score was. His teammates were relying on him.

"Hummel, you're up," Coach Beiste called.

Kurt jumped at the order, trying to figure out what was going on. He soon realized that he was expected to go make a field goal attempt. He picked up his helmet from the bench next to him and got slowly to his feet. Standing seemed to bring on a wave of nausea, and as he made his way out to where Finn waited with the ball, Kurt willed himself not to throw-up on the field.

~_I can do this_, ~ Kurt repeated to himself as he placed his helmet on his head as he approached Finn.

The McKinley quarterback already had the ball in place as Kurt joined him. "You feeling okay, Kurt," Finn asked quietly, noticing his stepbrother's lack of color as he fumbled with the strap of his helmet.

"Yeah," Kurt replied quietly, even as Finn reached out to do the strap for him.

Taking a deep breath, Kurt let it out slowly as he lined up for the kick. Trying to push the way he was feeling aside, Kurt focused on the ball in front of him and the two uprights that he had to get it through. As he ran toward the ball though, the lightheaded feeling increased. Even as his foot made contact with the ball, he was sure that it wouldn't go through, he felt himself falling.

The last thing he was aware of was his stepbrother calling his name.

* * *

Burt paced the waiting room he had been showed to when they had taken Kurt for a CT scan shortly after arriving at Lima General Emergency Room. At least Kurt had been awake when they took him back, having regained consciousness in the ambulance. As he waited for news on his son though, all he could think of was that Kurt wouldn't have been out on that field if he hadn't encouraged it.

"How is he?"

The question from the familiar voice of his stepson brought Burt Hummel out of his thoughts. Looking in the direction of the voice, Burt saw Finn, Carole and Blaine all walking briskly into the waiting room. Burt automatically looked at the clock on the wall, wondering how long he had been pacing. Surprisingly, he saw that only ten minutes had passed.

"The game can't be over?" Burt said, looking back toward his stepson.

Finn got a sheepish look on his face. "I sort of got thrown out of the game," Finn admitted.

"For what?" Burt asked.

"He went after the linebacker that clobbered Kurt on the punt return," Blaine supplied, before Finn could answer. "Got the guy pretty good, too."

"That guy was like twice your size," Burt replied, looking at his stepson.

Finn shrugged. "The guy deserved it. Hitting Kurt like that was unnecessary. Someone should have done something when he first hit Kurt."

"For once I'm inclined to agree with you," Burt said, earning him a reproachful look from Carole. "Not that I'm condoning solving things with fighting," he added. "That should always be your last resort."

"Yes, sir," Finn replied, wondering what his punishment was going to be. Not that it mattered. He'd do the same thing if put in that situation again. "Kurt?" he asked again, wanting to get the conversation off of him.

"Well, he regained consciousness on the way over here, but they took him for a CT Scan almost immediately. Other than that, they're not really saying much," Burt said.

Carole reached for his hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. She had been in his position more than once with Finn, although being a nurse here allowed her to be closer to the flow of information. It also meant she understood the talk that went on between the doctors and nurses who were taking care of her son.

"The fact that he was awake is a good sign," she assured her husband.

Burt nodded but didn't say anything. Though he wanted to resume his pacing, he also didn't want to break the physical contact he had with his wife.

"Why don't we all have a seat," Carole suggested, gently pulling Burt toward the chairs.

The four of them sat down in the semi-comfortable waiting room chairs. There was no more talk, although each of them kept a close watch on the clock as the seconds ticked by. Eventually the sound of footsteps caused four sets of eyes to look toward the doorway to see a nurse standing there.

"Family of Kurt Hummel?" the nurse asked.

"Yeah," Burt said, getting to his feet quickly. "How is he?" he asked as the four of them converged on the nurse.

"We're still waiting on the results of the CT, but he is stable. If you'd like to go back and be with him, two of you can go back. The doctor will come see you as soon as they have the results of the scan."

"You and Finn go back," Carole suggested. "Blaine and I will wait here."

Burt nodded, eager to get back to his son's side. He and Finn followed the nurse back into the ER and to the curtained off cubicle that Kurt was in.

"Is the game over?" Kurt asked confused as Burt and Finn slipped through the split in the curtains. Finn was the last person he had expected to see.

"Not quite," Finn replied. "The refs didn't care much for the quarterback going after a line backer," he told his stepbrother as he walked to the one side of the bed.

"Well that wasn't very bright of you," Kurt countered, though he felt touched that his stepbrother had gone after the guy that had clobbered him.

Finn shrugged. "Your last kick went in by the way."

"Good."

"How are you feeling, Bud?" Burt asked, coming up on the other side of the gurney Kurt was lying on and taking his son's hand.

"Like Finn is playing his drums inside my head," Kurt replied, turning his head slowly to look over at his dad. The movement was a mistake as it only increased the pain he was feeling. He felt his father apply slight pressure to the hand he was holding.

"I'll check with a nurse and see if they can get you something for the headache," Burt said.

"They already did," Kurt told him, remembering not to shake his head 'no' in response to his father's suggestion. "Guess I just need to give it time to start working."

"If it's like the concussions I've had in the past it won't help much," Finn supplied knowingly.

"Something nice to look forward to," Kurt quipped sarcastically.

"What I want to know is why you didn't tell someone you were hurt after the guy tackled you in the first place?" Burt asked.

"I didn't want to let anyone down," Kurt replied softly. He could feel tears starting to well up in his eyes at what he was perceiving as an accusatory tone from his father. "I thought I would be okay but then everything started spinning when I went to make the kick."

"Hey, Bud, don't cry," Burt said, reaching out to gently run his hand through his son's hair when he saw that the question had upset him. "No one is mad at you. I just don't ever want you to try pretending you're okay when you're not. Nothing is worth that, especially not a game."

"I should've known something was wrong when you came out on the field," Finn said guiltily as he thought back. "You were too pale and having trouble with the strap. I should've said something to Coach Beiste before you made that kick attempt."

"It's not your fault, Finn. I'm the one that said I was okay."

"Its nobody's fault," Burt cut in, putting a stop to the blame game his two sons were playing. "We can't change what happened. Let's just not have a repeat of it, okay."

Their conversation came to an end as a doctor stepped through the curtain. "Kurt Hummel?" the doctor inquired, glancing down at the chart he was holding.

"That would be me," Kurt replied quietly.

The doctor, whose name tag read Dr. Barrows, glanced at Finn and then Burt. "Are you his father?"

"I am," Burt replied, giving his attention to the doctor although he didn't let go of his son's hand. "How bad is it?"

"Well, , the scans we took show the typical signs of a mild concussion but I don't see anything that warrants admitting Kurt to the hospital. You'll need to keep a close eye on him and watch for signs that could indicate a worsening of the condition or some kind of complication for the next couple of days. I'll have a nurse go over those with you before discharge."

"They'll be waking you up every two hours," Finn interjected. "It's very annoying."

The doctor smiled. "Sounds like you've had experience with a concussion."

"I've had more than one," Finn admitted.

Dr. Barrows nodded before looking back at Burt. "He can go back to school on Monday but should take it easy for the next week. No gym class and no football practice until at least Thursday and then he should ease back into it."

"What about the game on Saturday? Can I play?" Kurt asked.

"You mean that you're still going to play after this?" Finn asked, surprised. He thought for sure Kurt would use this as an excuse to quit the team again.

"The team still needs me," Kurt told Finn, though his gaze didn't change from the doctor.

"What position?" Dr. Barrows asked, not following the exchange and not desiring a further explanation.

"Kicker," Kurt replied.

Dr. Barrows nodded. "Well, as long as there aren't any complications during the week, I don't see why not," the doctor told him before turning toward Burt again. "It might not hurt to have his regular doctor take a look at him midweek and make an evaluation then if he's really set on playing on Saturday."

"I'll do that," Burt replied, uneasy about Kurt returning to the field again. He was starting to wish he had stayed out of the whole issue about Kurt playing kicker for the McKinley Titans.

"Do you have any questions?" Dr. Barrows asked.

"Not right now."

"I'll have a nurse come in and go over discharge instructions with you and then you can take him home and let him rest in his own bed," Dr. Barrows said. He looked toward Kurt. "And remember, take it easy for the next few days."

"Yes, doctor," Kurt managed as the doctor slipped back through the curtains and headed to his next patient.

* * *

A couple of hours later, Kurt was settled in his own bed. Blaine had come back to the Hummel-Hudson home long enough to help Kurt get settled and then had taken his leave, promising to come back the next day. Kurt was sorry to see him leave but knew his dad would never go for Blaine spending the night.

Kurt was brought out of his thoughts about missing Blaine by his stepbrother's voice. "Feeling up for a couple of visitors?" Finn asked, peering around the door jam.

"Yeah, sure," Kurt replied, wondering how whoever had stopped by had convinced his father to let them into the house. His father's protective tendencies were in overdrive and Kurt had a feeling it was going to last for a while.

Finn disappeared briefly before reappearing leading Puck, Sam, and Mike into the room. The three had changed out of their uniforms but were all wearing their lettermen jackets.

"How are you feeling, Kurt?" Mike asked as he walked over and sat carefully on the edge of the bed.

"A bit better now that I'm home," Kurt replied, although as Finn had predicted the medicine he had been given at the hospital had done little to help his headache. "How did the rest of the game go?"

"Well, as you can probably guess, Crandall couldn't get the ball in between the goal posts so we didn't score any more points that way," Mike told him.

"Still, we managed to hold onto the lead," Puck chimed in as he took over the explanation. "And as we do after every win, the team took a vote for who should be presented the team ball, and as we won by a margin of the three points we wouldn't have had if you hadn't made that last field goal, the vote was unanimous that the game ball should go to you," Puck said, holding out the ball he had brought with him.

"Are you serious?" Kurt replied, reaching out to take the ball and smiling despite the pain.

"You won us the game. It seemed only right," Sam replied.

"See, you didn't let anyone down, even if you did pass out on the field," Finn added from where he was standing by the door.

Kurt felt his cheeks grow warm. "I guess that one won't go down as my most graceful kick."

"Hey, it went through the uprights. That's what counts," Mike told him.

"What about next weekend? Are you going to be able to play?" Puck asked.

"Puck, we agreed not to mention that tonight," Mike scolded, glaring up at the other senior.

"What? We all want to know the answer?" Puck said defensively.

"The doctor says that if all goes well, I should be able to play come Saturday," Kurt replied, smiling at the exchange.

"Then perhaps we should go, and let you get some rest. We don't want to hinder your recovery," Sam replied. "Nor do we want to get your father's bad side. I'm not sure how Mike managed to talk him into letting us up here. Kurt, your dad can be one scary dude."

"His bark is worst than his bite, believe me," Kurt told him.

"That might be so, but his bark is bad enough," Sam countered.

"I'll stop by tomorrow, Kurt," Mike promised, getting to his feet.

"Get your rest, dude," Puck said as he stepped away from the bed. "We're going to need you to beat Westerville High next weekend."

"I'll do my best," Kurt promised, wondering how he was going to even sleep for the two hours he would be allowed to sleep before getting woken up with the pounding in his head.

As his three teammates left the room, Kurt looked down at the football. It meant a lot to him that the team had voted to give him the game ball. Finn had quite a few now that the team actually won games. He hadn't expected to get one of his own and it meant more than just a football win. To him it represented the fact that his teammates accepted him as part of the team. That meant more to him than anything else.

Deciding to at least attempt to get some sleep, Kurt settled down against his pillows.

"Do you want me to put that up somewhere for you, dude?" Finn asked, slipping back into his step brother's room.

Kurt looked at the ball he still held. He knew this was going to sound silly but for once he didn't care.

"I think I'm gonna hold onto it for right now," Kurt replied.

Finn smiled. "I'll check in on you in a couple of hours," he told his stepbrother beginning to step out of the room.

"Hey, Finn."

"Yeah," Finn replied, looking back at his brother.

"Thanks for tonight. Getting thrown out of the game probably wasn't the smartest move, but the fact that you stood up for me means a lot."

"I told you, dude, I've got your back no matter what the cost," Finn said, referring to the promise he had made at their parents' wedding. "Now try to get some sleep," he added, turning and heading out of the room. Somehow he didn't think Coach Beiste would be so forgiving about his actions.

Holding the ball close, Kurt closed his eyes. Football might not be his favorite sport but knowing he was helping his stepbrother and friends achieve something important to them made it all worthwhile, concussion and all. He was sure that was something his father would be proud of him for. Maybe even more so than just playing football and making his father proud was what was important to him.


End file.
